Heavy safety protocols in place for game
SAN JOSE >> The San Jose Earthquakes resume the abbreviated Major League Soccer regular season tonight against the Portland Timbers as a test case.
The game at Earthquakes Stadium is the first professional sports event in Santa Clara County since the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down many activities 5 1/2 months ago. The Quakes (2-1-2, eight points) also have home games Sept. 5 and Sept. 13, with more to come when MLS releases the rest of its schedule. All events in San Jose are being held without spectators.
Jared Shawlee, the Earthquakes’ chief operating officer, said team executives collaborated with the 49ers, the Sharks and area colleges to write a 100-plus-page gameday safety manual that county public health officials have approved.
The team expects to have 232 people or fewer at the stadium, including players, coaching staff, team executives, game-day operations crew and media, Shawlee said.
“We think we put together something good, and we hope if it is successful some other industries can use the protocols as well,” he said.
The Earthquakes last played at home March 7 in front of an announced crowd of 12,223 people. Major League Soccer suspended the regular season five days later.
In a statement issued to this news organization,
Santa Clara County said health officials reviewed the Earthquakes and 49ers COVID-19 safety protocols and “worked with both teams to protect the general community from potential exposure to any infected players or team staff.”
Here are the five parts of the plan officials should closely watch:
Testing
The plan is similar to one MLS officials used to run a successful World Cup-like tournament earlier this summer in Florida. It has three tiers.
Tier 1 includes players, coaches, medical staff and anyone else who is in close contact with them. They receive what is known as a PCR test, a molecular nasal, throat or salvia exam that detects the virus’ genetic material, according
to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This group gets tested within 48 hours before games. They also are tested every other day.
Starting fullback Tommy Thompson said players get tested while driving into the facility. “It is less painful than getting a needle prick inside of you,” he said.
Tier 2 are individuals such as team staff and some broadcast crew who might have minimal contact with anyone in Tier 1. Those people who only need access to the facility on game days are required to have a PCR test 24 hours before arrival to the stadium or a rapid point-ofcare test administered onsite before the game.
Tier 3 includes media members and some operations staff who have no contact with anyone in Tier 1.
Social distancing
Per public health guidelines, people are expected to stay at least six feet apart and to avoid working in groups. The Earthquakes
incorporated some of the MLS measures adopted in Florida but also implemented specific guidelines to limit the use of indoor space at their facility, Shawlee said. For example, they moved the team’s gymnasium and workout equipment into the concourse.
Midfielder Jackson Yueill said the players arrive in their clothes, train and
then leave. “We’re wearing masks, and we’re away from each other until we’re on the field,” he said. “It’s not ideal for building a culture that we want to build. But we’re making do.”
The team also monitors player movement outside of their homes. Players are expected to keep a record of where they go such as grocery shopping, doctors’ offices and picking up food at restaurants.
Game-day cleaning
Earthquakes Stadium will undergo a deep cleaning before each game, according to the manual. Janitorial staff will use cleaning products recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The team will have a hygiene officer to instruct all people in the stadium on basic hygiene measures, including hand sanitizing, cough and sneeze hygiene, social distancing and hand
washing. The officer also will work with the manager of the janitorial staff to create a cleaning and disinfecting plan. The person will keep a log of all areas that have been cleaned, when and with what products.
At the start of the first half, the three locker rooms (including the one for game officials) will be cleaned and sanitized for when everyone returns inside at halftime. During halftime, the benches and surrounding areas where the players sit will be cleaned and sanitized and three locker rooms again will be cleaned before the game ends.
Stadium entry
The safety plan dictates how people enter the stadium. Everyone entering the facility will undergo a health check, according to the protocols.
Players, coaches, referees and team staff will have a private entrance but will undergo a similar screening
process as everyone else. Also, teams and referees will be given designated arrival times to reduce the number of people entering at one time.
On-field play
Officials will stagger player entrance onto the field and keep everyone separated by at least six feet. Players no longer will be escorted onto the field by children. Pregame photos and handshakes are prohibited. The national anthem will be played over the stadium speakers with players lined up six feet apart during the pregame ritual.
Five photographers will be allowed in the stadium, but each one must stay in a designated area.
“We will learn from these first six games,” said Shawlee, who included the team’s three road matches. “Stadiums are complicated. We are asking for things that are different than normal businesses operating in the area.”